Shiftable sheet feeding device for duplicating machines



Nov. 24, 1953 c. A. LEVIN 2,660,4 1

SHIFTABLE SHEET FEEDING DEVICE FOR DUPLICATING MACHINES Filed Jan. 16, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet l Nov. 24, 19 53 c. LEVlN 2,660,431

7 SHIF TABLE SHEET FEEDING DEVICE FOR DUPLICATING MACHINES Filed Jan. 16, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 l I i J {I w 2 H25 8 I i fZ/ m/ ll rvzeys C. A. LEVIN SHIFTABLE SHEET FEEDING DEVICE FOR DUPLICATING MACHINES Filed Jan. 16, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Aug 4 Patented Nov. 24, 1953 SHIFTABLE SHEET FEEDING DEVICE FOR DUPLICATING MACHINES Carl A. Levin, Park Rid Incorporated, Chicago,

West Virginia ge, Ill., assignor to Ditto,

Ill., a corporation of Application January 16, 1950, Serial No. 138,841

This invention relates ing devices for duplicating machines, and in particular, to one that can be shifted in a step by step manner. V

The transverse position of a copy sheet with respect to the printin couple of a duplicating machine is generally determined by aside guide, a .tray, or by other sheet feeding devices which are disposed on the feed table of a duplicating machinefor shifting movement in a transverse direction. Means have been proposed whereby such sheet feeding devices can be shifted in a step by step manner by semi-automatic means.

However, these prior art devices, some of which operate on an escapement principle, have the disadvantage that they are adapted only for step by step movement, and may not be manually shifted several steps at a time. Furthermore, it is not possible to manually set the sheet feeding device at some intermediate position, thatis, at a position between the two adjacent predetermined positions which corresponds to one step.

It is an object of this invention to provide a shiftable sheet feeding mechanism which can be.

shifted semi-automatically in a step by step manner, and which in the alternative can be shifted manually to any desired position. v g

. It is a further object of this invention to provide a simple and inexpensive step byistep means for actuating a side guide, a feed tray, or the a like.

It isa further object of this invention tov provide a sheet feeding device, suchas a side guide or a'tray, which includes sheet advancing means,

such as a pair of rollers,-which sheet advancing 5* with the side means is automatically 'shiftable guide or tray in a step by step manner. I

A still further object is to provide in a sheet feeding device; an improved sheet .jadvancing means which is capable .of being movedv into an inoperative position without afiecting the psi tion of the stacl; of copy sheetsvon'which it rests. Other objects, features and advantages will become apparent as the description proceeds.

' With reference now to the drawings in which like reference numerals designate like parts:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of aduplicating machined embodying a preferred form of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of thefeed table; Fig. 3 is a View similar to Fig. 2 but showing the parts in changed position;

Fig. lls a View similar to Fig. 2, but in which certain of the parts are removed;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken along line 55 of Figs. land 2; Y

to 'shiftablef sheet feed-3' 12 Claims. (CL 271-36) 2 Fig. 6 is a vertical section taken along line 6-6 of Fig. 4; j I Y Fig. '7 is a vertical section taken along line 7-1 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 8 is a transverse vertical section taken along line 8- -8 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 9 is alongitudinal vertical section taken along lines 9-9 of Figs. 1 and 8. v

As shown in Fig. 1 the duplicating machine comprises a frame It in which. is rotatably mounted a drum H whose operation isJcon-' trolled by a trip bar l2. The duplicating machine includes a feed table it at the front end and a receiving tray .55 at the rear end- A sheet feeding device is shiftably mounted on the table v l3 and comprises a feed. tray l5 and sheet advancing mechanism It. A stack of sheets I! isdisposed inth'e feed tray, I 5 and is adapted to be advanced,

sheet by sheet, into duplicating engagement with.

As shown in Figs. 6,. 7, and 8, the horizontal portion of eachside guide isprovided vwithshoul:-.

der rivets 22 and 23, the lower ends of which are threaded and which project downwardly. through. the slots and 2! respectively; and between bars 24 and 25, andbars 25 and'ZEi respectively. The.

bars may be suitably secured to the undersurfa'ce of thetable'iS, as by welding.

A spacer plate 33. is slidably disposed in .the space between bars and 25through which the shoulder rivets 22 pass, and to which the shoulder rivetsare secured bylock nuts 3!. The spacer.

plate 3;! serves to. maintain the. spacing between the two side uides. A sleeve Washer 27 permits "thelock nuts tojbe securelytightened up without;

impairing the free sliding movement of" the plate so and theside guides, since the shoulder. on the rivet. maintains the desiredclearance between the parts. Similarly,gthe shoulder rivets 23', are

held in freely slidingeng'agement with the slot 2 l by means of a platezfi and lock nuts 29.

The feed tray 15 which comprises the side guides 8 and i 9 and the spacer plates!) is caused to shift in a step by step direction from the right to the left, as viewed in Fig. 1, by an actuating member in the form o'fa displaceable rack 33; ;which. is operated by means of a lever .34,

The displaceable rack 33 j is mounted'below the table. by means of brackets 36 and screws .31, the screws passin throughdiagonally disposed slots 7 ing the throw of the lever.

38 formed in the rack 33. Thus, the actuating member is capable of displacement in a diagonal direction from its Fig. 2 position into its Fig. 3 position.

A pawl 49, in the form of a lever 39 and pin 42 is pivotally mounted on the underside of the spacer plate 30. The pawl shown in Fig. 4 is biased by a spring 4| in the clockwise direction toward the rack 33. A stop pin 52 limits the displacement of the pawl in its clockwise direction. The displaceable rack 33 is provided with a plurality of teeth 44 which are adapted to engage the pawl it! when the rack is displaced, thereby causing the feed tray IE to be: shifted transversely. When the rack 33 is released and permitted to return to its initial position by means of spring 45, the feed tray will remain in its shifted position and the pawl will remain in a position in which it will be engaged by the next succeeding tooth 44, or the second or third tooth as the case may be.

The spring 45', as shown in Fig. 5, is tensioned between a. suitable pillar 46, mounted in the'rack 33, and the flange 4'! of the table !3.

A displacement of the rack 33 may be effected by any suitable means such as the lever 34'. The. lever is journaled in suitable brackets 48 which are secured to the flange 41. A link 49 connects the lever with the. pillar 45. Thus, as the lever is depressed downwardly into the dotted line position of Fig. 5, the pillar 46 and. the rack 33 will be displaced into the position shown.

The extent of the step by step movement of the sheet. feeding device is determined primarily by the spacing of the teeth 44, but the movement may be in. multiples of the inter-tooth distance if the. displacement of the actuating member 33 is sufficiently great. The extent of the displacement of the actuating member can be determined by any one of. several means, such as the length of the slots 38, the throw of the lever 34' and link 49., or by the provision of a separate stop member'which, as shown herein, can be in' the form of a stationary rack 32 having teeth. 43.

For instancethe displaced postion of the rack 33. can be determined. by the location of. the rear end of the slots 38 or by the location. of the stationary rack 32 or by the engagement. of the edges 51- of the lever 34 with the table. flange 4.1,.

This limiting position of the lever is shown in dotted lines in Fig. '5. By providing a series of. holes in the displaceable rack 33, the'relative positon of the pillar 45. and the link 49 with respect to the. rack 33 may be shifted, thus regulat- In the arrangement shown, the normal position of the displaceable, rack is in all instances determined by the location of. the forward end. of the slots 38. It is obvious, however, that additional means may he. provided for the regulation of the normal position. where such regulation is deemed to be desirable.

In the foregoing it will be observed that'the stationary rack 32 is. only one of several alternative means for determining the displaced position of the shiftable rack. However, by mounting the stationary rack on slotted brackets 35, it is possible to adjust the position transversely thus providing a regulation of the successive positions of the sheet feeding device which. is not provided by the other means herein referred to.

The sheet advancing mechanism it is slidably mounted on a transverse shaft which is intermittently rotated, in synchronism with the drum by suitable means not. shown herein. This that the complete combination shown herein.

mechanism comprises an arm in the form of a housing Bl which is slidably and pivotally mounted on shaft '60. At the outer end of the housing is journaled a second shaft 62 on which are mounted feed rollers 63. The housing Si is preferably of U-shaped cross section being open at its underside, when in its operative position. A gear 64' is keyed to the shaft 6.0 and disposed within the housing so as to be slidable therewith. A. second gear 65 is keyed to the second shaft 62 and is driven from gear 64 by a chain 66. Thus, the feed rollers 63 are intermittently rotated and serve to advance the top sheet from the stack. ll when the housing is in its operative position, as. shown in solid lines in Fig. 9. Since the housing'is rotatably mounted on the shaft 60, it may be swung upwardly and rearwardly to permit replenishment of the stack, or it may be completely reversed into its inoperative position, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 9. It will be observedthat. in this inoperative position, the housing '51. will rest. on a strap T0; so that the feed rollers. will be held clear of the stack. Thus, the machine can be operated without having the sheetsadvanced from. the stack, merely by throwing the housing, rearwardly into its inoperative position.

Thestrap. 18 is, connected at its ends to the side guides. 18 and i9. by suitable screws H. The central portion 12 of the strap is formed into a U-shape and engages the side walls of the housing. Thus, when. the feed tray is shifted in a ste by step manner; the U-shaped strap. will cause the sheet advancing mechanism [6' to be shifted accordingly. The U-shaped central portion 12 also serves as the support for the housing when in its inoperative position as pointed out above. The U-shape into which the strap, is formed provides. a certain amount of resilience. which. serves as a shock; absorber; thus, the housing, may be thrown or. flipped into inoperative position without likelihood of damage.

The operation has been described in connection with the description of the several parts of themachine.

. According to the mechanismof the present invention, this.- can be done merely by depressing. the lever! with, the result that the entire sheet feeding device, including the sheet advancing mechanism, is automatically shifted a predetermined distance.

This distance can be the length of one or two. or. more teeth, depending upon which one of, the apertures 50 the pillar 45 ismounted in.

It will be observed that the stop pin 52 maintains the pin 42 clear of both of the racks with the result that the sheet feeding device may be freely shifted in either direction. l' -urthermore, the feeding device can be thus located in any position, irrespective of the spacing of the teeth.

In certain instances, the sheet feeding device can. consist only of one side guide, or it may comprise two side. guides without the sheet advancing means. However, it has been found is-of great utility iirline printing. T-heparticular arrangement of the'sheet advancing'imechanism permits it tob'e swung into an inoperativeposition so thatother duplicating'operatiohs can be "carried onwith respect to copy sheets or strips ing means including a feed tray mounted on said.

table for displacement in atransverse direction, the combination of means for-shifting: said sheet feeding means in a step by step manner comprising a pin associated with said feed tray and projecting downwardly through said-table, an elongate displaceable actuating member disposed transversely of said table and beneath the same at a point adjacent the path followed by said'pin, means for displacing said-actuating member in a diagonal direction into engagement with said pin, and means for mounting said pi'n on said, feed tray to permit movement of said pin with respect to said feed tray in a direction substantially perpendicular to said transverse direction so as to permit displacement of said pin in said diagonal direction, and to cause displacement of said feed tray in a transverse direction,

said sheet feeding means also including sheet advancing mechanism embodying a roller adapted to engage-the top sheet of a stack of sheets disposed in' a feed tray, and a member connecting said feed 'tray and said sheetadvancing mecha- I "nism so that the latter may be shifted with the former, said sheet advancing mechanism being slidablyinountedon said shaft so thatit may be shifted. with said sheet feed tray.

2. In a duplicating machine as claimed in claim 1, the combination of a lever pivotally mounted on said feed table for vertical motion about an axis which is perpendicular to said diagonal direction in which said actuating member is displaced, and a link disposed beneath said table and connecting said lever and said displaceable actuating member.

3. In a duplicating machine as claimed in claim 1, the combination of a lever pivotally mounted on said feed table for motion in a vertical plane, a link disposed beneath said table and connecting said lever and said displaceable actuating member, and means for adjusting the connection between said link and said actuating member so as to regulate the throw of said lever.

4. In a duplicating machine or the like hav-' ing a feed table, and a feed tray mounted on said table for displacement in a transverse direction, the combination of means for shifting;

said feed tray in a step by step manner comprising a pawl carried by said feed tray and projecting through said table to the undersidethereof, an elongate displaceable actuating member disposed transversely of said table and beneath the same at a point adjacent the path followed by said pawl, and means for bodily displacing said actuating member in a diagonal direction into engagement with said pawl so as to cause said feed tray to be laterally shiftedin a step by step manner. p

5. In a duplicating machine or the like having a feed table, and a feed tray mounted on said "that said feed tray and ineither direction.

saidtable to the underside thereof; an elongate displaceable actuating member disposed tra'nsversely'of said table and beneath the same at a 6. In aduplicating machine having a feed table provided with a transversely disposed slot,

a transversely shiftable longitudinally arranged side guide, a transversely shiftable plate disposed beneath said table, means'extending through said slotandconnecting said side guide an'dsaid plate. said plate'engaging the walls of said slot-to prevent rotation 'of said plate with respect to said table, alever mounted on said plate, a pawl pin mounted on said lever, a rack mounted beneath said, table for displacement in a diagonal-direction with, respect to the sliding motion of said plate. andhaving teeth adapted to engage said pin to move the same in a transversedirection,

and'a stationary rackvspa'ced from said displace ablejrack 'andh'avin leethlformed thereon-to be engaged by said ratchet pin to limit the displacement thereof whereby said side guide may be advanced step by step through a series of positions which correspond to the the teeth on said stationary rack. p n W I n7. Means for advancing a side guide in a step by step manner in a transverse idirection coi ngprising a downwardly extending 'pinl associated with saidside 'guide, a displaceable actuating member for engagingsaidpin, a 'stationary'stop member spaced from said actuating member and adapted to be engaged by said pin to limit the motion thereof, said actuating member and said 1 stop member being elongate and being disposed substantially parallel to each other beneath said side guide, said actuating member being dis placeable in a diagonaldirection and having spacedteeth thereon for engaging said pin, and

means for mounting said pin for longitudinal movement with respect to said side guide so as to permit motion of said pin in a diagonal direction and so as to cause motion of said side guide in a transverse direction.

8. A sheet feeding device for the table of a duplicating machine comprising a tray having a pair of side guides disposed longitudinally of said table, means for mounting said tray for sliding movement transversely of said table, a

rotatable shaft mounted in fixed position with respect to and transversely of said table and above said tray, an arm supported from said shaft forslidable and rotatable movement with respect thereto, said arm being rotatable between an operative and an inoperative position, sheet advancing rollers carried by said arm and adapttable for displacement in a transverse direction, I n

the combination of means for shifting said feed tray in a step by step manner comprising a pawl carried by said feed tray and extending through 'ed to rest on a stack of copy sheets disposedin said tray when said arm is in operative position,

and a member connecting said side guides and having a U-shaped central .portion which embraces the sides of said arm so that said arm may be shifted transversely with said tray.

9. A sheet feeding device as claimed'in claim 8 in which said U-shaped centralvportion is "disposed beneath said arm and provides aresilient support therefor when in inoperative position.

10. A sheet feeding device for a table ofa' duplicating machine comprising a tray for re-i p it ned e vi e a ac of l pv sheets and mounted on said table for sliding movement transversely thereof, a rotatable shaft mounted in fixed position transversely of said table and above said .tray, an arm in the form of a housing supported from said shaft for slidable and rotatable move- ;ment with respect thereto, said arm being rotatable between an operative and an inoperative position, sheet advancing rollers carried by said arm and adapted to rest on a stack of copy sheets disposed in said tray when said arm is in operative position, a driving connection between said shaft and said rollers disposed in said housing and slidable therewith for advancing, successively, the top sheet of said stack, means for maintaining said housing in said inoperative position so that said rollers do not contact said copy sheets when said arm is in said inoperative Position, and means for bodily shifting said tray and said arm transversely with respect to said table in a step by step manner. 7

1 1.A sheet feeding device for a table of a duplicating machine comprising a tray having a pair of side guides disposed longitudinally of Said table, means for mounting said tray for sliding movement transversely of said table, a

shaft mounted in fixed position transversely of said table and above said tray, an arm supported from said shaft for slidable and rotatable movement with respect thereto, sheet advancing rollers carried by said arm and adapted to rest 0. a stack of copy sheets disposed in said tray for advancing the top sheet of said stack, and a m mb n e tins sa d si e uides and havi a -shape ntral p r ion which e b c th s d s f said arm so that sai m m y b sh t d t a sv sely w t said ay, d mean ,ior hifting said t a t ans er ly n a s p by step manne L r a ,arm being rotatable between an operative and an inoperative position, sheet advancing rollers carried by said arm and adapted to rest on a stack of copy sheets disposed in said tray for advancing the top sheet of said stack, a member connecting said side guides and having a U- shaped central portion which embraces the sides of said arm so that said arm may be shifted transversely with said tray, and means for shifting said tray transversely in a step by step manner, said U-shaped centra1 portion being disposed beneath said arm and serving to support the same when said arm is in inoperative position.

CARL A. LEVIN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,089,946 Davidson Aug. 17, 1937 2,204,715 Wimmer June 18, 1940 2,236,442 Neidich Mar. 25, 1941 2,260,045 Morrison et a1. Oct. 21, 1941 2,267,998 Storck Dec. 30, 1941 2,288,149 Williams June 30, 1942 2,313,633 Ford Mar. 9, 1943 2,398,315 Little Apr. 9, 1946 

